A Friendship Celebrated in Moscow

Julie had been studying Russian in her university classes and had always dreamed of traveling to the country. For her summer break, she decided to see if her close friend Ashley would like to visit Moscow with her. Ashley loved the idea; while she didn't speak any Russian herself, she could see how important it was for Julie, and it would also be a great opportunity to spend quality time with a friend.

Ashley also decided to give her friend a bit of a surprise. She looked at photography vacation packages to plan a professional photo shoot for the two of them in Moscow. She figured it would be a good early birthday present for Julie, and a great way for the pair of them to commemorate the experience. She liked the idea of having a local do the photo shoot, since she had such limited knowledge of the city and she wanted it to be surprise for Julie. After looking at various options, Ashley booked a photographer from Localgrapher.

After finishing out the school year, the two were ready to set out on their trip. They had made arrangements and planned where to stay, though Ashley kept the surprise of the photographer to herself.

They began their trip at one of Moscow's most visited tourist attractions: the Red Square. The historic plaza which used to function as a market place was now surrounded by some of the most popular landmarks in Moscow, including the Kremlin and Lenin's Mausoleum. The friends enjoyed going on tours of the various historic sites and taking goofy selfies together. Their favorite place by far was St. Basil's Cathedral and the impressive multicolored onion-shapes domes that were so characteristic of Moscow.

The following day they went to the State Historical Museum, with amazing displays of art and information about the history of the city of Moscow. This attraction appealed more to Julie because of how interested she was in the culture and history of Russia, but Ashley also enjoyed walking around and seeing the various displays.

Ashley had arranged with the photographer to meet in Gorky Park, the most famous green park space in Moscow. Since they were traveling in the summer, the weather was pleasant and a nice natural escape from the city landscape of Moscow. Keeping the personal photographer a surprise, Ashley and Julie enjoyed walking around the park for a while before Ashley carefully guided her friend in the direction toward where the photographer was waiting for them. The photographer was even able to get a few natural shots of the friends together before Ashley surprised Julie and introduced them.

Julie was thrilled by the perspective of getting to do a professional photo shoot in Moscow. For her, it was more than just getting good photographs of the city, it would also serve as a reminder of the friendship she shared with Ashley. The two friends had fun taking a variety of more formal and funny shots around the park, with the photographer able to give them advice about the best places for pictures.

The trip to Moscow was a success for both of them. Julie was thrilled to have had the chance to practice so much Russian and have the opportunity to learn more about the culture of the country. Beyond that though, the time the friends shared together brought them closer together, and with the pictures from the travel photographer they had a meaningful way to share these memories.

This is a contribution from one of our contributing writers.

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